Brief Anger Hampers Blood Vessel Function Leading to Increased Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke - New Study
6 months ago
According to this new study, when adults recall past experiences that trigger anger, it disrupts the normal function of cells lining blood vessels, potentially impeding blood flow linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
The study published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, led by Dr. Daichi Shimbo, a distinguished professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, underscores the critical role of vascular relaxation in safeguarding against cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke.
“Impaired vascular function is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke,” explained lead author Dr. Daichi Shimbo from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. “Observational studies have linked feelings of negative emotions with having a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease events. The most common negative emotion studied is anger, and there are fewer studies on anxiety and sadness, which have also been linked to heart attack risk.”
In this study, researchers delved into the potential impact of negative emotions—namely, anger, sadness, and anxiety—on blood vessel function compared to a neutral emotional state.
The study, involving 280 adults (ages 18 or older and healthy), subjected participants to four distinct emotional tasks over 8 minutes: recalling a personal memory that induced anger, recalling an anxiety-provoking memory, reading sentences designed to evoke sadness, or engaging in a neutral task of counting to 100.
The researchers previously detailed this protocol, known as “Putative mechanisms Underlying Myocardial infarction onset and Emotions (PUME),” in an earlier publication.
Before and after each emotional task, researchers meticulously evaluated the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels of each participant, monitoring for signs of impaired dilation, increased cell injury, or reduced repair capacity. Measurements were taken at baseline (0 minutes) and at four subsequent time points post-task: 3 minutes, 40 minutes, 70 minutes, and 100 minutes.
The analysis yielded intriguing results:
“We saw that evoking an angered state led to blood vessel dysfunction, though we don’t yet understand what may cause these changes,” Shimbo added. “Investigation into the underlying links between anger and blood vessel dysfunction may help identify effective intervention targets for people at increased risk of cardiovascular events.”
We know that intense sadness and similar emotions often act as common triggers for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Additionally, high-stress situations like earthquakes or even fervently watching a world soccer match can precipitate myocardial infarction and/or arrhythmias.
The present study eloquently highlights the detrimental effects of anger on vascular endothelial health and function. Given that the vascular endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels, plays a pivotal role in myocardial ischemia and atherosclerotic heart disease, these findings are of profound significance.
While the intricate mechanisms linking psychological states to cardiovascular health remain incompletely understood, this study represents a significant stride towards unraveling such complexities.
Source: 10.1161/JAHA.123.0326981
Image Credit: Getty Images
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